The secret is simple: as the clock starts counting down the final seconds of the old year, I grab a piece of paper and a pen. On this tiny slip, I write down my wish. This year, once again, I’m wishing for love. For that one special person who will make New Year’s Eve and every day after magical and filled with love.

When the chimes begin to strike, I set the paper with my wish alight. The fire transforms my words into delicate ash — a symbol that they are already on their way to the universe. I drop this ash into a glass of champagne. With the final chime, I raise the glass and drink it down, making the wish a part of me.

Every time I perform this ritual, I feel a sense of certainty deep in my heart: everything will come true. Perhaps it’s just a trick of the mind, or maybe magic really does exist. Either way, I believe that on this night, wishes have power.

I’m wishing for love. The kind that warms cold winter nights, brings joy in spring, uplifts in summer, and becomes a steady foundation in autumn. And even if my wish is still on its way, I know that one day, to the sound of chimes, I will no longer wish for it but instead give thanks for it.

Happy New Year!